In the UK, Somani Group hotel targeted by anti-immigrant activists

An obscure pit-stop hotel (just outside of London) owned by an Indian-origin hotelier has suddenly shot into prominence on the back of a nasty anti-immigrant backlash which has led to widespread, and often violent, protests across Britain.

The Bell Hotel, owned by the Somani Hotels Group, has been targeted by far right groups for housing asylum-seekers put up there by the local city council, pending a decision on their asylum applications.

The flashpoint came last month after an asylum-seeker from Ethiopia was charged with sexually assaulting a schoolgirl in the local high street, though he denies it.

The protests have since spread to other cities, often leading to clashes with the police and anti-racist campaigners.

Last week, the High Court ordered the council to remove asylum-seekers from the hotel, but the order has since been overturned by the Court of Appeal.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer whose Labour party came to power promising to fix the problem of illegal immigration is facing calls from his own MPs and ministers to take a more radical approach in the face of the growing threat from right-wing groups.

On his watch, the number of asylum-seekers has gone up with a record 111,000 people claiming asylum during his first year in office.

A recent poll found that 71 per cent of voters, including 56 per cent of Labour voters, believe the prime minister is handling the asylum hotel issue badly.

"Nearly 4 in 10 voters said that immigration and asylum was the most important issue facing the country, as against 25 per cent who named the economy and 7 per cent said it was health," pollsters said.

Home secretary Yvette Cooper's new proposals to address the issue, which include expediting deportation of people whose applications are rejected, have been greeted with scepticism.

And for good reason too, given the failure of similar promises in the past.

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“Deport 'em all"

Remember Nigel Farage, of Brexit fame? The populist nationalist who orchestrated Britain's exit from the European Union plunging British economy into a crisis from which it is yet to recover?

After a spell in political wilderness, he is back at the head of a new party, Reform. And this time, his mission is to rid Britain of all foreigners, starting with asylum-seekers.

His plans, which include withdrawing from the European Convention on Human Rights and other international agreements, are proving so popular that his party is leading ahead of both the Tories and Labour. And he's already being tipped to be Britain's next PM.

Watch this space.

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And, lastly, a graffiti on a London wall: “Nationalism can be enjoyable on the sports field, but far less so when it has real-life consequences as people are divided into ‘us’ and ‘them‘.”